Jiangsu, situated at the center of the eastern coast, stretches on both banks of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and boards the Yellow Sea in the east. Its coastline extends some 1,000 km. The province links Anhui and Shandong provinces in the northwest and borders with Shanghai and Zhejiang Province in the southeast. It covers a total area of 102,600 square km, making up 1.06 percent of Chinas total territory.

Located in a transit belt from the subtropics to a warm temperate zone, Jiangsu features a distinctive monsoon climate. It is warm with moderate rainfalls and clear-cut seasons in the province. The annual average temperature is between 13-16 centigrade. The annual rainfall is between 724-1,210 mm. The rainfall in summer accounts for 50 percent of the annual rainfall.

Jiangsu has a long history of a relatively developed economy and culture. Rich in landscape gardens, scenic attractions and historical sites, it is noted for having the largest number of historical cities in the country. Such cities include Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Changshu, Xuzhou and Huaian. There are 20 scenic spots, 23 forest parks, 6 holiday resorts and 416 cultural heritage sites under the state and provincial-level protection. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization put nine classical gardens in Suzhou on the world cultural heritage site list